Bos met sloot bij maanlicht 1884

Henri Rul made this etching, 'Wood with ditch in moonlight,' using needle and mordant on paper. It is not dated, but the twilight mood, and its subject matter, invite us to connect it with the work of other Dutch artists of the late 19th century, especially the Hague School of landscape painters. Like them, Rul may have wanted to establish a uniquely Dutch visual idiom. Instead of the bright colors and grand scale of French painting, they chose quiet subjects from the local landscape, in a muted palette. They were also interested in how printing techniques could be used to produce atmospheric effects. We can understand the image better by researching the printmaking techniques used by Rul. The archives of institutions like the Rijksmuseum, where this print is kept, help us to build up a picture of the artist, his subjects, and the kind of audience he was trying to reach.